While the idea of traipsing around the tropics in search of exotic fruit is perhaps seductive (and in keeping with the spirit of gourmet-adventurism that has recently become so chic), the juxtaposition between this FPP and the one just below it (on Daewoo's attempts to purchase half of Madagascar's land to grow corn for export back to Korea) is suggestive (vis-à-vis the global politics of food).

Although Poirot detests the idea of traipsing around after clues and villains, he often finds himself without any other option, and so acts a great deal more like Holmes, although he claims to think more like Dupin.

Palmer became irritated on the stand when he described how police officers who arrived at the scene began "traipsing" through the area where the skull had been found and, in his opinion, were not taking the scene seriously.